Thursday, January 4, 2018

Essay on Richard and Saladin

There is no duo of rivals from any period of military history and conquest reverenced by legend and honor more than Richard the Lionheart of England and Saladin of Syria. Richard the Lionheart captivated the imagination of his age more than any other king; more books, likewise, have been written on Richard than any other monarch of England. Richard has been known especially amongst children for the legends of Robin Hood associated with him { Richard the Lionheart and his fortress at Talmontt,} . Famous leaders of the past have, including Winston Churchill, praised the actions of Richard I, and no textbook in English ever criticized Richard I until the late nineteenth century { The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchhill 192-204, and The Crusades by Thomas Asbridge } Saladin, too, was well-renowned in his time. Not for being the front-fighting warrior as Richard, but as the Saracen king that re-captured Jerusalem from the crusaders and united a divided Islamic world. Though the Middle Eastern people mostly forgot Saladin until the twentieth century, he was remembered in the West as a chivalrous opponent. The similarities between Richard and Saladin are many, as are their differences. Both were skilled leaders, iconic figures of their day and; while Richard was accustomed to the rainy, English years, nothing could feel more at home to Saladin than the sand-parched deserts surrounding. Interestingly enough, neither ever met the other. However, though Saladin was a great lord and general to his people, Richard I came to be a great challenge to him, and an even greater challenge to him than any other crusader. That Richard I was a greater warrior between the two is proven by his devout faith to God, his victories over Saladin in the Third Crusade, his proven abilities on the battlefield, chivalry, his ability to long-term strategize, and his role as a long-influential king. Although Saladin and Richard were both strong in faith, Richard's faith was more worthy. Saladin was born in Tikrit in 1137 in present-day Iraq. He was raised in the Islamic faith; he was five when the second Crusade happened. All his life, he wished to unify the Islamic world and to take Jerusalem from the Crusaders. In contrast, Richard I of England was born in Oxford on September 8, 1157. Richard came from a deeply religious family, { PBS Richard the Lionheart and Saladin Holy Warriors} His great-grandfather was king of Jerusalem. His father had given much money to the Crusaders, { God's Warriors Crusaders Saracens and the Battle for Jerusalem by Dr. Helen Nicholson and Dr. David Nicolle p. 62} His mother had been on the second Crusade, and Richard himself was fascinated---driven---all of his life, as influence by his faith, to take Jerusalem {Richard the Lionheart and Saladin Holy Warriors PBS}. Richard, who was a devout Catholic Christian, sold many of his lands and lordships in order to go on crusade. { The Crusades Crescent and the Cross History Channel} . After Saladin's defeat of the Crusaders at the Horns of Hattin, Richard was ready early on to take the Cross. On crusade, Richard was in love with Jerusalem, and believed that by conquering it, it would please God. He was deeply concerned with protecting Christendom all of his life. Even after the Crusade, Richard still desired to take Jerusalem someday, and after being imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor, Richard was sided by the Pope, who excommunicated the emperor for imprisoning him after his service to the Church { Papal Bull of Pope Celstine III}. Richard was deeply pious, and until Jerusalem was liberated for Christian pilgrims' visitation it in September 1192, it greatly bothered him tat the city was in Muslim control. Even his later wars with Philip Augustus in France was greatly concerned with raising money for the Crusade. Though Saladin was greatly committed to Islam, Richard's dedication was greater, as it was to Christ. Saladin did well early on in planning for his conquest of Jerusalem. But between him and Richard, Richard planned the Third crusade out better. Saladin had not strongly prepared as he could have for Crusader-invasion of Palestine. Saladin's men were not professional soldiers and were not paid for their service. Richard, however, led an army of knights and foot-soldiers, well armored and paid. Many of them, too, were professional fighters. Richard's army was significantly smaller than Saladin's, yet more professionally equipped. Richard left England to prepare his forces in France in 1189. By July 1190, he set out for the Holy Land. On his way, he had to stop immediately to free his sister, Princess Joan, from imprisonment and then free her again, along with his soon-to-be-fiancee, Princess Berengaria of Navarre, from the Greek lord of the island, Isaac, who left the ladies stranded on the island shore { Knights and Crusades p. 220-221 by Charles Phillips and Richard the Lionhearted by Joanne Jessop p. 16-17} . Richard had to face off Muslim pirate foes on his way to Acre, but easily defeated them. Shortly thereafter, he became the leader of the Crusade as Emperor Frederick Barbarossa died on route to the Holy Land and King Philip Augustus of France returned home after quarreling with Richard. Saladin and Richard both left a heavy mark of chivalry on peoples. Saladin did not kill all the Christians when Jerusalem surrendered to him in 1187, though he sent them out to slavery. Saladin often sent Richard ice and fruit when the English king was ill; while Richard is often remembered for slaying the 2,000 Muslim prisoners at Acre, it was because Saladin was delaying to send the 1,600 Christian prisoners he had to Richard concerning his agreement { The Conquest of Jerusalem and The Third Crusade by Peter W. Edbury p. 108-109}. Richard did not slay civilians as former crusaders had done, and ]even let some Saracen prisoners free at his siege of Darum in 1192 { Richard de Templo Folio Society, The Third Crusade p. 123-130}. Both Saladin and Richard had mutual respect for one another. Richard strongly desired to protect Christian pilgrims; most of his life, spent very little time around women, though he was adored by his mother. Richard married Berangaria of Navarre at Cyprus in May 1191: a princess that had been brought to him for marriage by his mother. It is often assumed that because Richard spent so much time in war, that he didn't love his wife, although not hing from contemporary sources implies this. Richard loved poetry and music { Richard the Lionhearted p. 6-7 by Joanne Jessop} and while Saladin was very chivalrous, Richard's deeds of chivalry were superior. Saladin was an amazing war-lord that brought a strength Ayyubid Dynasty to the Middle East. From 1174 to 1185, he conquered much of the East, including the powerful cities of Damascus and Aleppo. Saladin most famously defeated the Crusader army of King Guy de Lusignan on July 4, 1187, and later that year, took Jerusalem. No Saracen warlord had accomplished the conquest that Saladin achieved, and all future Saraccen worlords would build on his shoulders. At the same time, Richard was an amazing warlord. He had won the name Lion-heart early on for his heroic deeds. Richard defeated his father, Henry II, for the throne of England. Richard never lost a single battle, and every siege he attmpted, he succeeded. When even caught by surprise by enemies in Sicily and Cyrprus during the Third Crusade, he quickly formulated a plan. Arriving at the Port of Acre on June 8, 1191, which had been under siege for two years, he took the city by July 12. After Acre, Richard marched south to Jaffa and defeated the Saracen army on September 7, 1191, at the Battle of Arsuf, where he was outnumbered 3 to 1 by Saladin's army. He won a string of more victories on his way to Jerusalem. Though Richard never assaulted the city, out of fear he could not take it, he defeated Saladin again in the Battle of Ascallon in April 1192, and that May, he conquered the Fortress of Darun. Richard marched towards Jerusalem again that July, but then pulled out to sail home. However, as he ws having his fleets prepared at the Port of Acre, he heard news of Saladin attacking the City of Jaffa. Richard quickly sailed to the city with 2,000 crossbow men, and only 50 knights in contrast to Saladin's 12,000 army at Jaffa. As the rest of his army fought the Saracens at Caesarea, Richard rushed through the water to the beaches of Jaffa and fought through the city until he reclaimed it. By August 5, Saladin and his men came back to take the city. But Richard rode out to them with his men and frightened the away. By September, Saladin gave the Christian pilgrims entrance to the Holy city by a treaty lasting three years. Richard ultimately had more competition in his conquest than Saladin, who fought generals not of the greatest strategic minds. In contrast, Richard had to face the greatest foe of his day---and defeated him. Few kings seem to be remembered for their perosnal fighitn on the battlefield like Richard I. Though Saladin was a great strategist like Richard, unlike Richard, he did not fight on foot so often as the Lion heart. Richard fought on foot in his battles with the Crusadrs, killing many of his enemies by the sword at Acre and Jaffa. Contemporary sources record Richard often killing 10-3o men in these battles. He fought with his men in battle. Legends often portray him as slaying lions, boars, and dragons. While the legens=ds may not be true, they do represent hsi known courage mongst the common folk, whom he spent more tim with than nobility. Both Saladin and Richard were greatly respected bu teir men, yet both had many enemies in their day. Although some periods, especially during the Third Crusade, the Saracens wer eupset with Saladin, like at his destruction of the people of Ascalon's homes early in 1192 so that no one would take over, he nevertheless was lovd for the most part by his men. Saladin grew the Ayyubid army stronger than it had ever been. He conquered all of the crusader cities in Outremer except for Tyre and a few small castles. Saladin's achievement were politically strengthened by his relation to the unification fo Arab warlords from all over the East. On the other end, Richard was loved also by his men, and except for the French, pretty well unified the whole Crusader army. eopold of Austria woud be the only other exception. Lepold, who had ben on Crusade with Emperor Fredereck Barborosa in 1190, took over the German Crusade after Barbarosa won the Battle of Konya in Turkey, but shortly thereafter fell off a horse and drowned in the Saleph River, Barbarossa's son, Frederick of Swabia, then died, and Leopold took over the German Crusade, but left after Richard wouldn't punish English soldiers for throwing the German banner into a pit outside Acre since the German had not helped in the siege { Third Crusade, Wikipedia} . Richard did work well with his French nephew, Henry of Champagne, however. Richard unified the Crusade at Acre and beyond with King Guy de Lusignon of Jerusalem. Guy was often blamed for the Fall of Jerusalem to the Saracens, yet Richard gave Cyprus to Guy to be king over after the Templars gave it up from rebellion by the Greeks. In early 1192, the Kingdom of Jerusalem removed Guy as King, and replaced him with Lord Marquis Conrad { Third Crusade Wikipedia and Knights and Crusades p. 231 by Charles Phillips} . Conrad, who sided with Richard's enemies, Hugh of Burgundy and the French was assassinated one night in the city of Tyre. Richard was blamed for the murder, and many of his enemies, including Philip of France, used it against him { Philip II of France Wikipedia and Third Crusade Wikipedia}. When Richard was imprisoned in Germany later, it was revealed by letter from the old man of the mountain, a sorcerer of the East, that he himself had killed Conrad, and that Richard was innocent { Richard the Lionheart Wikipedia and Richard I by John Gillingham p. 199} . After Conrad's death, Richard helped his nephew, Henry of Champagne, gain the throne and marry Isabella of Jerusalem, former widow of the Marquis. It was during this time that Acre became the new capital of the kingdom, and so the land became known as the Kingdom of Acre. At some point during the Third Crusade, Richard established a German order of knights headed by a Grand-Master Meister Sibrand----these became knows as the Teutonic Knights. Richard was a friend of Robert de Sable, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, during the Third Crusade, and Grand-Master Garnier de Nablus, master of the Knights Hospitallers, during the Third Crusade. { Wikipedia The Third Crusade, Wikipedia Garnier de Nablus, Wikipidia Robert de Sable, A chronicler reveals that 300,000 Sarcacens were at the battle of Arsuf, and 100,000 Crusaders. Although many modern sources now record 30,000 Saracens at Arsuff in contrast to 12,000 Crusaders of the English king with 8,000 French. Whatever the case, at Arsuff on September 7, 1191, the Crusaders were outnumbered and Richards good field of commanders helped win the day { Richard the Lionheart and the Third Crusade by David Hilliam p. 34-35} . The Crusaders were in strong formation, and archers were reigning down on them as they marched towards the Saracens. Garnier de Nablus broke the king's orders and helped save the day by charging on at the enemy. The Hospitallers attacked the Saracens at the right flank as a whole army followed in the charge, including the Templars, who assaulted the Saracens on the left flank. The Saracen army broke ranks and retreated. { For the battle, wikipedia The Battle of Arsuf and Crusaders p. 16-17 by Joanne Jessop.} Richard's good relations with the Church helped him out later on by the Pope taking his side when he was in prison. Richard's loyalty was strong among his subjects, and according to legend, Blondel the Minstrel went looking for the cell of the king as Robin Hood and his merry man raised money to pay the king's 100,000 silver-coin ransom. Interestingly enough, Richard spent very little time in England, and as King, was only there from 6-10 months of his life, spending more time in France and overseas where he fought. He has been quoted as saying, "I would sell London if I had a buyer," when he was raising money for the Crusade { The Crusades Crescent and the Cross, History Channel} . Richard did not like the rainy weather; however, his absence from the land does not show his lack of love towards it or its people, but rather, his priority for their protection. Politically, Richard left his country better off than Saladin. While Saladin did have the loyalty of his brother Al Adil and some others, Richard seemed to hav a much better group of companions than Saladin. Richard was almost killed in a battle by Sir William Marshall who at the time was on the side of his father, yet Marshall spared the Lionheart's life, went on to serve him in his later years as the most famous knight of the Middle Ages, { Richard and John: Kings at War, p. 150 by Frank McLynn} Richard was strongly loyal to Christendom, but was friendlier to Jews than most contemporaries at the time. Some Jews showed up at his first coronation when they were not supposed to, to bring gifts, and so many English went on to persecute them until the king put an end to it, and locked the persecutors away { Wikipedia, Richard I of England}. Richard also sold Scotland their freedom, and Richard, having an ancestor Queen Matilda of Scotland, was friends with King William the Lion of Scotland, who helped Richard against the rebellion in England when the king returned in 1194. Richard was friends with the French lords Philip of France and Hugh of Brugundy, though this did not last{ Wikipeedia, Philip II of France, Hugh of Burgundy Wikipedia}. Besides his relatives and the leaders of the Third Crusade, Richards loyalty among his friends is most prominently found among his knights, Earl Robert of Leicester was a strong supporter of the king. Knights including William de Roches and especially the too-well known tournament lancers of their day, Peter and William de Preaux{ Wikipedia, Peter de Preaux, Wikipedia William des Roches} . Peter was a strong supporter of Richard all of his life, and very pious. He fought alongside the King in the Third Crusade, especially at the Battle of Jaffa in the waters off the shore{ The Crusades by Harold Lamb, sixth printing p. 400}. William, disguised as the king one night on a hunting trip in the summer of 1191 so that the Saracens would capture his life instead. William de Preaux was held in prison for a year until he was finally ransomed at the end of the crusade { The Third Crusade by Richard de Templo p. 97-103}. Peter, who later assisted Prince John after Richard's death, did many heroic deeds not mentioned in detail in this paper. He was the royal standard bearer of the King in the Third Crusade, and because Richard would not enter Jerusalem if he could not take it, he sent Peter ahead, along with Andrew de Chavigny, William de Roches, and Gerard de Fournival, to lead the pilgrims in seeing it in September 1192 {Wikipedia Peter de Preaux} . Richard's wife, Princess of Navarre, as also very good companion to him. She was very pious and did much to influence others into freeing her husband from his imprisonment { Berengaria of Navaree Wikipedia} . Another friend was Henry the Lion, a German knight. When gathering his crusade together in Poiters, France in 1190, he not only was strategically good, but had strong support from allies and friends. Henry of Navarre had been a long-time friend of Richard, and too strongly supported Richard against Philip of France. Philip of Cognac, Richard's son, was very loyal to his father, yet went against his father's command to execute the crossbow man who had shot Richard in the shoulder. { Philip of Cognac Wikipedia}. Richard was also friend with Archbishop Hubert Walter, an Walter's support for Richard no doubt played a role in the support of papacy to the English king. Both Saladin and Richard had somewhat tragic deaths, though Richard's was more exciting and climactic. Richard swore and oath that he would be in the Holy Land until Easter of 1193, though he had left the previous October. Interestingly enough, Saladin died March of 1193, just two weeks before Richard's sworn date { . After Saladin's death, the whole Muslim world lost much of its power as it fell into division. Had Richard stayed, he would certainly have taken Jerusalem, but nevertheless, he returned to England for problems going on at home. In march 1193, Saladin died of yellow fever{Saladin Wikipedia and Lionhearts: Richard I, Saladin, and the Third Crusade p. 217} . Richard experienced many difficulties on his return home. He and 40 of his men sailed on one ship up to Vienna; along the way, his ship was destroyed, and they were captured by pirates { Richard the Lionheart by John Gillingham p. 217-240} . The pirates freed them, however, when they found out that the Lionheart was amongst their company. Richard and his men were captured by German soldiers of Leopold of Austria soon thereafter soon, and put in Leopold's Castle. Richard was snot free until England paid his ransom. Richard finally left Germany and arrived in England in mid 1194. As he arrived, he had to put down a rebellion of his brother Prince John, with help from Scotland. Richard helped conquer the Fortress of Nottingham, and was shortly thereafter re-crowned again. He was barely in England, only to fight Philip in France for the next five years. Richard and Philip fought several campaigns, like when Richard defeated the French forces in 1194, taking 40,000 French solders prisoner. There was hardly a space of peace within these campaigns, and Richard's forces beat Philip's repeatedly up through 1199. Shortly before, Pope Innocent III called for a new Crusade. Richard wanted to return to the Holy Land as a Crusader and take back Jerusalem; he became hasty. Richard had heard of a Treasury in the Castle of Chalus the Treasury that was believed to be there was also believed to be enough of the remaining money needed to finance a new crusade. Unfortunately, there was no treasure there, and in early 1199, Richard was seizing the Castle. One day, he went riding down by the mostly unguarded side fo the walls to inspect it, fore siege. It was not simply guarded, and Richard, unaware, wore no armor. A crossbow men shot Richard in the left side of his neck. Days later, Richard died on April 6, 1199, in his mother's arms. Shortly before his death, his piety grew, and Richard decided to be a crusader again; this was ultimately among his last dreams. England greatly weakened after Richard's death for the next decade, and the French reclaimed all the territories. Richard did not fail, however His nephew, Henry III, son of John, who became king after his fathers death, drove the French out of England in 1217. General Edmund Allenby, who took Jerusalem for the Ottoman Empire in December 1917, was compared to Richard the Lionheart. Saladin's best help in his family was Al Adil who took over after his death. Nevertheless, the rest of his family didn't really benefit him politically. Richard on the other hand made a smart move in marrying Princess Berangaria, not just because she was considered one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe, but because she helped him politically for the rest of his life. She wrote letters to many for the help of her husband when he was imprisoned. After Richard's death, she became a nun{ Berengaria of Navaree, Wikipedia} . One of her greatest was continuations the alliance between Navarre and England. Richard seemed to have consummated his relationship to his wife while in France, but Berangaria probably could not have children. Some have wondered why Richard did not try to annul his marriage if this was the case; despite the fact that Berangaris probably being infertile, she remained a loyal wife with Richard through his campaigns, and he to her, a loyal husband even when both was ill at Acre, like when he was down and she was throwing up{ Richard the Lionheart p. 18, by Joanne Jessop}. In her later years after his death, she lived in Le Mains, and an Archbishop of Toledo, wrote of her actions, quotes "As a most praiseworthy widow, and stayed for the most part in the city of Lemains, which she ha as part of her marriage dowry, devoted herself to alms-giving, prayer, and good works, witnessing as an example to all women, chastity and religion in the same city, she came to the end of her days with a happy death." Berangaria was the only queen never to step foot on English soil. Another friend of Richard's family that was a great friend to him was Eleanor, his mother, who also tried to help him while he was in prison. On the flip side, Richard did have a greater enemy in his family than any foes of Saladin's: his own brother, John. Still, Richard's family ended politically better than Saladin's, with long-standing. Both Richard and Saladin greatly changed history, and the world of their times. Saladin's achievements can be compared to former warlords of the East, such as Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar, and Mohammed. His generosity to his enemies leaves his image in the West as chivalrous foe. Richard the Lionheart's achievements can be compared to the successes of Western conquerors like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Crusader Godfrey de Bouillon. Richard's courage in battle is still talked about in the present day, as historically the most famous king in England. Richard's life has inspired great legends of adventure, romance, and chivalry, based on or associated with his character. Many historians through the years have praised his influence; he was more than a king, he was an adventurer, the pious knight that fought beside his own men, and a pious crusader. A PBS says in a documentary, Saladin was the Arab world's greatest champion, and Richard the Lionhearrt. Christendom's greatest warrior. Though Richard or Saladin didn't conquer the extent of land as Genghis Khan, Caesar, or Alexander, they faced greater opposition than any conquerors after them: each other. From a young age until their death, both were ready to take on the world for their faith, and what they believed in. Saladin's body was buried in the Umayyah Mosque in Damascus and Richard's was buried in Fonttevraud Abbey, France, only sleep now as their inspiration continue to affect the world today. Saddam Hussein, born in the same city as Saladin, compared himself to the Saracen warlord, and accused President George W. Bush for acting like the Crusader Warlord for his "crusade," as Bush called it, against Islam. Saladin was not made a statue of until 1993 in Damascus outside the citadel, yet it still shows the presence of his influence in the region. A statue of Richard I was completed in 1867, and stands outside of Parliament, showing that the Lion lives on with his country. Nineteenth century Baptist minister Charles Spurgeon, when talking about how one should preach, said that it should be as sharp as Saladin's sword, and as hard as Richard the Lionheart's axe.{http://www.biblebelievers.com/Stree...}. Though both men were from different regions, both had different faiths. One Islamic, another Catholic Christian. Both impacted each other. Though they were so different in so many ways even by age and personality, they not only influenced each other, but history and the world, a millennium later.
Further reference
Richard I by John Gillingham
The Life and Times of Richard I by John Gillingham
Richard the Lionheart by John Gillingham
Magna Charta by John Gillingham
Saladin and the Saracens by David Nicolle
Richard the Lionhearted by Joanne Jessop
Richard the Lionheart and the Third Crusade: The English Confront Saladin in A. D. 1191
History of the Catholic Church by James Hitchcock
God’s Warriors, Crusaders, Saracens, and the Battle for Jerusalem by David Nicolle and Helen Nicholsen
The Crusades by Thomas Asbridge
Tales of the Crusades by Olivia Coolidge
The Third Crusade: Richard the Lionhearted vrs. Saladin by Samuel Willard Crompton
Richard and John: Kings at War by Frank McLynn
The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill
The Crusades by Harold Lamb
Crusaders by Joanne Jessop
Knights and Crusades by Charles Philips
The Crusade of Frederick Barborossa: The History of the Expedition of the Emperor Frederick and Related texts by G. A. Loud

Last English Class Done

  I recently finished my last English class, which covered Biblical literature. I also have completed two creative writing classes this seme...